Fantasy Football - Playoff Primer + Trade Targets & League Winners - Podcast for 11/12

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast – "Playoff Primer + Trade Targets & League Winners"

Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

---

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a detailed “Playoff Primer” focusing on how to set your fantasy football roster up for the home stretch. The trio analyzes favorable playoff schedules, discusses trade targets and league-winner candidates, and shares waiver wire backup options. Expect a blend of deep analysis, roster advice, and the signature Footballers' humor.

---

Key Segments and Insights

1. Welcome Back Jason & Light-Hearted Banter

• [01:27 – 05:00]
  • Jason returns after an illness, receiving a humorous “emergency kit” from the crew (complete with adult diapers, barf bags, Pepto, and an alarm clock).
  • Jason: “It wasn’t my fault that the tenderloin I made was so good that I decided to eat it after it had been on the counter for, I don’t know, eight hours. I thought the microwave would fix things.” [03:39]
• The guys reinforce: Don’t play with food safety, don’t reheat rice twice (“reheated rice syndrome” becomes a running joke later).

---

2. Backup Options & Waiver Wire Gems

• [06:44 – 10:38]
  • Analysis of recently dropped players, who to keep an eye on, and which waiver wire targets might offer immediate help.
  • Tight ends:
    • Dalton Kincaid is being dropped too often—should be held.
    • Dalton Schultz is offered as a reliable emergency play:
      Andy: “He’s been very solid over the last month... You could do a lot worse.” [07:57]
  • Running back sleeper:
    • Tyler Badie (Denver) as a speculative add due to injuries in the backfield:
      Jason: “Sean Payton always uses multiple backs. Tyler Badie will be working.” [09:24]
  • DST:
    • San Francisco 49ers defense is highlighted as a stash ahead of a cushy run (vs. Arizona, Carolina, Cleveland, then Tennessee).

---

3. NFL News & Notes

• [10:47 – 16:24]
  • Travis Hunter (LCL surgery): Out for the season, quicker recovery expected.
  • J.K. Dobbins: Foot injury status uncertain, but not on IR yet—nervous vibes from the hosts.
  • Giants QB:
    • Jameis Winston starts; optimism for NY pass-catchers (Darius Slayton, Wondale Robinson, Jalen Hyatt).
      Jason: “Jameis is win, win, win. 303 and three. That’s what he does. 303 touchdowns, three interceptions.” [13:33]
  • Chris Rodriguez: Expected to play.
  • George Pickens/Cowboys: Cowboys may use franchise tag; debate about team/contract implications.
  • Breaking News: Marvin Harrison Jr. out this week due to an appendectomy.

---

4. Thursday Night Preview: Jets @ Patriots

• [18:21 – 25:15]
  • Patriots lauded as a “legit” 8–2 squad with all-around strong play.
  • Jets offense lampooned (“52 passing yards!”); only Breece Hall is a viable start for NYJ.
  • Patriots:
    • Drake May is a start; Trayvon Henderson considered a must-play regardless of Rhamondre’s status (even if both play, expect a 50/50 split).
    • Savon Diggs is a safe-floor, low-ceiling WR play.
  • On Trayvon Henderson:
    Andy: “His playoff schedule is so nice...” [37:37]

---

5. Playoff Primer: Setting Up for Success

• [25:40 – 48:03]

The Importance of Playoff Scheduling

• Emphasis on targeting players and positions with favorable playoff schedules, especially for lineup decisions and trade targets.

Fantasy Football Playoff Schedule Tools & Strategy

• Use points allowed and schedule-adjusted rankings for greater context, especially at tight end (where opposing team usage skews raw stats).
• Jason: “Schedule adjusted is a better way to look at it… it takes a look at the average of your opponent.” [27:26]

---

Quarterbacks to Target (Weeks 15-17)

• Best Schedules:
  • J.J. McCarthy
  • Tua Tagovailoa (“Big plays, league-winning upside,” [29:28])
  • Lamar Jackson
  • Daniel Jones (“You can win a championship with Daniel Jones,” [32:04])
• Strategy:
  • If you lack a top QB, consider piecemealing: combo of McCarthy/Herbert/Mariota/others, targeting specific weekly matchups.
• Warning:
  • Patrick Mahomes has a brutal stretch: Chargers, Titans, Broncos.
    Jason: “If I had Mahomes, I have no doubt you could ride him to the championship... but that [DEN] game scares me pretty bad.” [33:28]

---

Running Backs

• Best Playoff Schedules:
  • Commanders, Patriots, Cardinals (especially Trey Benson upon return from injury)
  • Devon Achane, Aaron Jones/Jordan Mason (sneaky league-winner upside)
  • Notable Rookies: Trayvon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins ("exciting to get primed for the playoffs"[37:49])
• Bad Playoff Schedules:
  • Jahmyr Gibbs, James Cook, Bears (Herbert, Warren have rough matchups)
• Waiver Fodder:
  • Tyler Badie, Michael Wilson (Arizona WR with opportunity)

---

Wide Receivers

• Best Playoff Schedules:
  • Justin Jefferson/Jordan Addison (Minnesota)
  • Jalen Waddle
    • Andy: “He does feel like [he could be] a league winner.” [40:29]
  • San Francisco WRs (Iuke, Jennings, Pearsall… monitor health)
  • AJ Brown, Terry McLaurin (“AJ Brown is the trade target I’d go get.” [42:27])
  • Jameson Williams (Lions) as a cheaper league-winner bet
• Bad Playoff Schedules:
  • Marvin Harrison Jr., Rashee Rice, Zay Flowers
  • Emeka Egbuka (tough, but he's a set-and-forget "stud")

---

Tight Ends

• Favorable Schedules:
  • Miami (potential for Waller/Dulcich to emerge)
  • Ravens (Mark Andrews, Tyler Warren)
  • Sam LaPorta (Lions) – “Maybe the biggest one here… can make a huge impact.” [45:37]
• Tough Schedules:
  • Brock Bowers, Travis Kelce: “A little worried,” Mike admits [47:10]
  • Dalton Schultz and Dallas Goedert: Know they have tough matchups—consider streaming contingencies.

---

Defenses (DSTs)

• Best Schedules:
  • Texans: “You want the combination of a good defense with good matchups.” [49:30]
  • Buccaneers
  • Chiefs
  • Steelers (Best in championship week vs. Cleveland, but dangerous semi vs. Detroit)
• Sit/Drop:
  • Broncos, Packers, Vikings, Chargers, Seahawks — all have bad matchups.

---

6. Trade & Mailbag Highlights

• [51:58 – 62:48]
  • Jonathan Taylor insurance: It’s muddy—no RB behind him is really a strong add.
  • George Pickens trade question: Pickens for Breece Hall is "totally fine" — same tier, depends on team needs.
  • Sell high on Trayvon Henderson? Yes, if you can get a surer thing like Bucky Irving.
  • Upgrading from Sutton/Alec Pierce and QB dilemmas (Flacco vs Nix): Flacco > Nix for Week 11.
  • Would you trade Justin Jefferson for Davante Adams? Not advised, especially with Adams’ injury concerns.
• Backup WR Adds: Michael Wilson (Arizona), given injuries/depth issues.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jason, on his food poisoning:
  “It wasn’t my fault that the tenderloin I made was so good that I decided to eat it after it had been on the counter for, I don’t know, eight hours. I thought the microwave would fix things.” [03:39]
• On Jameis Winston:
  “Jameis is win, win, win. 303 and three. That’s what he does. 303 touchdowns, three interceptions.” [13:33]
• On playoff schedule strategy:
  “If you want to take a shot on the schedule, now is the time to do it. The matchup does matter. Guys just perform better against defenses that give up points to that position.” — Mike [27:03]
• On Daniel Jones as a league-winner:
  “You can win a championship with Daniel Jones.” — Andy [32:04]
• On defensive prep:
  “You can’t go into your playoffs with [Chargers/Seahawks]. You just, you cannot start those tier defenses against those opponents.” — Andy [51:42]
• Bonus food safety debate:
  “It’s called reheated rice syndrome and it is a severe—I mean, people have died many times and it is a very serious thing. So be careful with your reheated rice...” — Andy [54:10]

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Welcome & Jason’s Return: 01:27–05:00
• Backup Options/Waiver Wire: 06:44–10:38
• News & Injuries: 10:47–16:24
• Thursday Game Preview: 18:21–25:15
• Playoff Primer: 25:40–48:03
  • Quarterbacks: 28:31–33:32
  • Running Backs: 33:43–38:52
  • Wide Receivers: 39:35–44:48
  • Tight Ends: 45:12–48:03
  • Defenses: 49:16–51:52
• Mailbag & Trade Targets: 51:58–62:48

---

Recap and Takeaways

• Now is the time to analyze playoff schedules and make “league-winning” acquisitions, especially for QB, RB, and DEF positions.
• Don’t be afraid to trade for players with great matchups weeks 15–17, or to piecemeal positions with waivers/streaming.
• Play your studs, but bench or trade fringe players with dreadful playoff schedules in favor of high-upside options.
• Waivers are still alive: keep monitoring injuries and depth chart shake-ups.
• The hosts reinforce humor, listener camaraderie, and sharp fantasy advice throughout.

Final thought from the crew:
“Don’t reheat your rice twice, set your roster up for the playoffs, and as always, play for upside—that’s how you win your league.”

---

Transcript

[A]

Lowe's knows Sundays are for football, so tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch appliances, Select Bounty and Swiffer cleaning products and more. Then once your to do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy the game. Shop in store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL. Guys, did you feel like by week 10 last season, you were making some really boneheaded roster moves? Like having three quarterbacks all with the same bye week and completely forgetting to start players during the Thursday games? Maybe you were just exhausted. Fantasy football is a marathon, and being tired kills your decision making. If you have sleep apnea and CPAP isn't working you, you might be running on empty, too. Check out Inspire Therapy, an implant that's proven to treat sleep apnea without a mask or hose view. Safety info@ inspiresleep.com welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright.

[B]

Oh, welcome in. And a special welcome to you, Jason.

[A]

Yeah, that's right. I'm back. I'm alive, you guys.

[B]

He's in a better place.

[A]

You guys were hoping you got 50%. No, sir.

[B]

We didn't even get to make 50 jokes. It got so serious, I was actually worried. Well, welcome in Wednesday, November 12th. It's a full, full house today. Jason is alive. It seems like most people. Most people on YouTube seem to think that we were covering for a hangover. That's what the majority opinion was.

[A]

That would have been way more fun.

[B]

What were we covering for, Jason?

[A]

The vacuum. That's what we call it when both ends.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Go out, and then the vacuum exists in your insides. I hate to interrupt here, but the deucers actually got you a little care package. Okay. It's kind of like an emergency kit.

[B]

In case it happens.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

We have a basket.

[A]

We've got a basket. Oh, thank you. There's a. Oh, we got a clock.

[C]

There's an alarm clock. Dumbo.

[B]

Wait a sec. Let's walk through this. Jason, why don't you tell the people on the podcast what you have in this beautiful gift basket?

[A]

As you very kind guys. Yeah, I really appreciate you.

[B]

We were worried about you, brother. Deucers really care.

[A]

Well, first of all, it's impossible to open. I can't get into it.

[B]

So just take a look at what's in there.

[A]

Oh, we got depends. We got to. So now I can. I can still show up and do it live, right? No, you don't worry about it depends.

[C]

Now, on. On television.

[B]

Well, that's Dion, I think.

[C]

No, I thought it was Emmett.

[A]

Pepto Bismo, some Tums and an alarm clock. Very. There's some barf bags in there, too. Oh, that's great, man. Because you cared about both ends.

[B]

The only thing that didn't arrive in time was your life alert device.

[A]

Well, thank you, guys.

[B]

Round of applause for all the people.

[C]

Love it.

[B]

Jason today.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

They really are.

[B]

This is just this. And this was just bad luck, right? Just a run of the mill, random, random food poisoning.

[A]

It wasn't my fault that the tenderloin I made was so good that I decided to eat it after it had been on the counter for, I don't know, eight. Eight hours. I thought the microwave would fix things.

[B]

Did you really?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Oh, gosh, Jay, I'm on your side. I would have not thought twice about eating it.

[A]

Delicious.

[B]

That's a lot of hours on the counter.

[A]

It was too many hours. It was too many hours.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

And look, do you. Somewhere out there. Somewhere out there, there are two helpful blinds installers who also ate this meat. That was a couple hours before I did.

[C]

Yeah, there's only one.

[A]

But there's only one left. Yeah. Jay, you got them. Hopefully with kindness. Hopefully you guys are okay.

[B]

Well, welcome back. Glad you're here.

[A]

Refrigerate your meat.

[B]

Oh, man. It only took 3000 shows for somebody to just not make it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I know you felt bad, but physically is what we were worried about. We have a Wednesday episode of the show today. Thursday night preview NFL News to talk about backup options. Mailbag. And you got a gift basket. So if you start to feel anything.

[A]

Oh, I got my Pepto on lock.

[B]

You got it. Unlock. Congrats. Puk Newcomb still in the lead of Megaloball.

[C]

No reclaim. He's back.

[B]

Oh, that's right. Smokey the Bear had taken the spot. But Puk Newcomb Smokey the Bear in the lead for the Megalo. Bowl. If you don't know what that is, if you're new to the show, we have a tournament, a massive 20,000 plus player tournament that starts at the beginning of the year. It's one of a an innumerable amount of perks for the people over at Join the including the new Trade analyzer tool and Poop Nukem in the lead right now.

[C]

He's all out of bubblegum.

[B]

Yeah, we have an Instagram. You can follow us instagram.com fantasy footballers, you can follow us on X. Catch this one at Andy Holloway. That's normal at Jason Moore.

[A]

What?

[B]

You are now at Jason Moore.

[A]

Not Jason ffl.

[B]

No, you are at Jason Moore.

[A]

Jason Fantasy football league. That one never made sense.

[B]

You were able to.

[C]

I thought it was fantasy football lover.

[A]

Maybe it was.

[B]

Maybe it was.

[A]

It's gone.

[B]

Jason was able to claim his name. And Mike not so much at ff. Hitman.

[C]

Got my name.

[B]

Yeah, you got your nickname. No big deal. Fart.

[C]

Fart Hitman.

[B]

Did you say fart Fart?

[A]

One of the best jokes ever made on our show.

[C]

Want people confused?

[A]

Poop. Poop. Simonis. All right, that's. Oh, man, we gotta hit a button and go and go. Backup options presented by Progressive Insurance.

[B]

Every Wednesday, waivers go through in your leagues and we take a look at the most dropped players and make some suggestions, some backup options to pick up off the waiver wire. We call it.

[C]

Options.

[B]

Well, we know, I know we call it backup options, but every week when we say to check the waiver, oh.

[C]

Drop it like it's hot.

[B]

We say keep an eye on who people. Also released on waiver day, the most dropped players on sleeper over the last 24 hours. Justin Fields at the quarterback position should always be the case. Every Wednesday, we should be dropping Justin Fields. Running backs Isaiah Davis after Reese hall didn't get traded. Chris Rodriguez after the injury, Tank Bigsby, Jacori Crosky, Merritt Singletary, Emmanuel Wilson, some of these were backup options. And then Kyle Manangai getting the drop. I don't, I don't like that. Yeah, you know what he's capable of.

[A]

I think Chris Rodriguez and Kyle Manongai are weird drops. I'll also throw out Dalton Kincaid who's being dropped in a lot of leagues. He's been too important at the tight end position. He doesn't appear to have a long term injury. I would not, I would not be kicking him to the curb.

[B]

Well, if you didn't get the waiver wire ads you wanted, here are some backup options. I will go with the world's slowest yet effective tight end, Dalton Schultz. Dalton Schultz is on a run.

[C]

He's getting it done.

[B]

He really is. He's been very solid over the last month. Tight end eight, seven and four in three of the four weeks. Double digits in three or four weeks. Targets have been up there, 11 this past week, eight the week before. Maybe. Maybe Davis Mills likes going his way a little bit more than CJ Stroud did, but got into the ends on this past week. You know, you could do a lot worse than what, nine, six, seven targets or sorry receptions in Those games. And so I think he's an interesting kind of emergency play at the tight end position right now. Gadsden, does he play this week? I don't know.

[C]

Doubtful.

[A]

Thankfully the Gadsden injury was not some kind of season ending big injury. The MRI was pretty clean. But yeah, I mean obviously if you have Gadsden, you are maybe in trouble this week. I'm going to throw out a guy that you two should have talked about. And yet I did listen to the show yesterday. Great job.

[C]

You are right.

[A]

But Tyler Bidet.

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Tyler Batty from the Denver Broncos, he is, I mean the injury right now to J.K. dobbins, they are, it's kind of gone back and forth. It's like, oh, he might go on IR now. I think the latest thing is like oh, he's probably going to avoid ir but that's in the conversation. Meaning he's not going to play this week like his, his foot is legitimately injured. I do not believe that Dobbins plays this week. I think that RJ Harvey will be awesome, a must play type of player. But this is a system with Sean Payton that they always utilize multiple backs. Tyler Bidet will be working.

[B]

He's always liked him more than we thought he should or should.

[A]

Yeah, for sure. He's still going to be the two minute drill, the passing down back who's already been involved. So certainly a player that needs to be picked up. And what I'm seeing on obviously waivers are running this morning but prior to these waivers running 0% rostered. So he should be out there in a low range.

[B]

That's a pretty low percentage.

[C]

All right. I'm going with a situation where you can play them this week. But us also, you know, waivers are going through. Let's get it, let's get ahead of it. Let's get those options ready for next week as well. It's the San Francisco 49ers. They will be playing at Arizona. The offense has been better. Jacoby Brissette, apparently the only quarterback over the last four weeks who has been in the top 12 each and every week. And then they get Carolina, Cleveland, a bye week in Tennessee. So the upcoming schedule here for the 49ers DST make sure you get out ahead of it because they'll be on the waiver show next week.

[B]

All right, that was backup options sponsored by Progressive Insurance. Quote Today at Progressive.com we have news.

[A]

News and notes from around the league presented by Progressive Insurance.

[B]

All right. Well we did get the unfortunate update to the Travis Hunter situation. Undergoing season ending surgery to repair a torn lco.

[C]

So no, no significant damage.

[B]

Yeah, it's. Well, it wasn't an ACL and it'll be a much shorter recovery and he'll be very healthy going into next year. But season cut short for the number two overall.

[C]

I'm not a doctor. I think the last L in LCL stands for ligament.

[B]

It's least crucial ligament.

[A]

Oh, well, that's good.

[B]

You didn't know that.

[C]

I didn't. I knew it was ligament. I just didn't know the beginning crucial.

[B]

But yeah, it's unfortunate, but I'm glad it's not an acl.

[A]

He will be a very, very interesting discussion going into next year. Assuming Brian Thomas is still there and healthy and they're going into the season, there will be some people who will be all the way in on Travis Hunter. He had his breakout game right before being injured. He's obviously very talented. The draft capital is enormous. I think I'm going to be out. I think I'm going to be out on Hunter just because there are so many different avenues for failure. We still don't know how much he's going to play on defense. Maybe coming into next year. They, you know, they. This his breakout game was like, okay, let's, let's stop the defense thing. Put you on offense the entire second half, have that breakout next year. There's just a lot of question marks on how it could go wrong. Whether it's Brian Thomas actually getting it together, whether it's he's playing on defense, whether it's coming off of an injury. Just a lot of like yellow flags to me.

[B]

We have the J.K. dobbins. We just talked about it. You know, not on injured reserve yet. I'm still nervous about it, honestly. I think he could end up there, but hip drop tackle, foot injury. You know, this is the Bucky Irving situation too, where you had, you know, is he back soon? Is he not back? We'll see what happens with J.K. dobbins. Can't report on too much more. Jameis Winston is.

[C]

Oh, man.

[B]

He'S going to start at quarterback for the Giants. This is a breath of fresh air.

[C]

Brian Dable would never.

[B]

Well, Russell Wilson would never make me happy if he was the starter. So James Winston.

[C]

I don't think it's a coincidence.

[B]

Well, perhaps not, but here we go. Darius Slayton. Viable.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Awesome. Rondell Robinson. I'll start Wondell Robinson in a PPR league.

[B]

We're going to tell.

[A]

I might start Jalen Hyatt. Like I'll just. Who do you got? Who you got? I want to go. Oliszevsky.

[B]

You know who else you would start? The Packers.

[A]

D. Yeah.

[B]

Out of them.

[C]

Yeah. No. That's why we love this move.

[B]

So, so perfect.

[A]

Jameis is win, win, win. 303 and three. That's what he does. 303 touchdowns, three interceptions.

[C]

Does it make Theo Johnson more viable for you? Because we talked about. Theo Johnson's a potential pickup, but he's only kind of been good with Dart and as it like if we went back to Russ, I would imagine that Theo Johnson would not be really part of the offense. So every. We don't know where James is going to. Jameis doesn't know where he's going to go.

[B]

Yeah, but it's going to be awesome. I think it's just some hope. I mean with Dart out and if Russ was starting, we'd all be just deflated.

[A]

Benching all Giants.

[B]

Yeah, we would be super bummed out. So what else do we have on the news front? Chris Rodriguez is expected to play.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

The shoulder injury, not severe. He did get into the end zone this past week. It's still a three headed monster when it comes to McNichols and JCM and Brenton Strange. The practice window is open. What else is going on? Strong likelihood that the pack. This is off season stuff, but the Cowboys strong likelihood that they franchise tag George Pickens.

[C]

Don't do this.

[A]

I know. I feel Dallas, I saw this report.

[C]

I was like, don't do this. Come on man, don't do this.

[A]

Jerry.

[C]

Jerry.

[B]

What do you mean don't do this? You saying pay him?

[C]

I'm saying pay him or let him go. George Pickens on a franchise contract over the off season is going to be just barf o riffic like, hey, is George going to show? It's going to be the entire offseason. Is George Pickens going to show up? Is he going to hold out?

[B]

That's funny. I don't have that perspective on this at all. I think this is the best case scenario for Pickens and the Cowboys.

[C]

It's the best case scenario.

[B]

They can't afford to pay him and CD Lamb that money and then he gets to stay in a great situation playing for a contract, which I feel like George Pickens personality needs to be playing for a contract.

[C]

But he's doing that right now.

[B]

I know.

[C]

I'm saying like it's great. He was a second round pick. He hasn't had his payday yet. I just, I feel like if he gets, if he gets put on the franchise, I don't think he's going to like it very much.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, it's a lot of money.

[C]

It is a great scenario for fantasy football.

[B]

You're saying you're just worried that he will be dissatisfied and that is possible.

[A]

Too for fantasy football. I do think it would be great. Like that's for him to be a cowboy. If he plays on it, if he goes to the open market, he will be the highest paid raider of all time. Yeah, exactly. He will make a lot of money and go somewhere bad and not be good for fantasy.

[B]

Yeah. So maybe he would be okay with the money. Let's hope for that. That was news and Notes sponsored by Progressive Insurance. Quote [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third party insurers not available in all states or situations. Coverage subject to policy terms, limits and conditions. We'll take a quick break and jump into the Thursday night preview.

[A]

I don't know if there is anything more important for a business than hiring the right person. I can tell you from personal experience, having basically owned my own company for about the last 20 years, the best decisions we have ever made that elevate the company are finding the right person. And when you find the wrong person for a job, you are paying to hurt your company. You want to give your job the best chance to be seen by with Indeed's Sponsored Jobs, they help you stand out and hire quality candidates who can drive the results you need. I'm telling you, the most important thing for your business is getting the right candidate. And you could spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Now with Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com footballers just go to Indeed.com footballers right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com Footballers terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the Right Way with Indeed. It's Sunday morning, folks. The lineup decisions are piling up faster than dirty dishes in the sink. Your running back's questionable and so is your outfit. But here's the good news. Uncrustables just dropped two new flavors built for the chaos of Sunday mornings. Up an apple and bright eyed berry with 12 grams of protein. They're tasty, they're feeling and they keep you fueled through kickoff. So yeah, go ahead and binge the late game Saturday night. You can still be a morning person Come Sunday.

[B]

All right. Can't go more than a few days without football, right?

[A]

Thursday night breakdown.

[B]

Well, the New York jets at 2 and 7 take on the New England Patriots, who are 8 and 2. So let me. Let me ask you, do the Patriots feel like an 8 and 2 team to you?

[A]

Yeah, they. They do to me. The. What they've done the last couple of weeks has. They're legit. I mean, I know when we were talking on the divisional previews early this off season, I was pretty hyped on the Patriots believing in Drake, May and Vrabel, but I believe it. And it's. To me, it's all three phases. They're just playing really great football.

[B]

And the most hyped about these nor' Easter jerseys they're going to wear.

[C]

Oh, we got some special jerseys.

[B]

Yeah, we have these Nor' Easter Patriots jerseys.

[C]

They're going to.

[A]

What word are you saying?

[B]

Nor Easter.

[C]

It's a type of storm.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Nor Easter.

[B]

For example. Let me use it in a sentence. You had two nor' Easter's going in the lower and upper half of your body yesterday.

[C]

Where you might be confused, Jason, it's very specific. It only takes place in the north and only on Easter.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[C]

It's a very specific.

[A]

Oh, it's up there in the northeaster storm. What.

[C]

Why are you British? What was.

[A]

What was that?

[B]

Also, while we're piling on, Jason, grow your mustache. I'm trying.

[A]

It looks. You look like you shaved it again. No, man.

[B]

Did you throw some of that up?

[A]

No, I mean, what in the. I'm so sorry, everybody. I mean, I should just miss like, two weeks.

[B]

Or wear. Just wear a Groucho Marks.

[A]

Oh, that's a good costume. That's a good idea.

[B]

Put something on your upper lip.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I apologize.

[B]

Okay. Sorry. I don't want to make us sick here. New York is playing the Patriots. New York is fresh off a dub with 52 passing yards.

[C]

Hooray.

[B]

You want to play any player not named Breece hall on the Jets?

[C]

Negative.

[B]

Can we make this simple?

[C]

Yeah, very simple.

[B]

There are no. So we have our Start Sit tool on the website, the fantasy footballers.com. we collect all the data from the Start Sit tool every week, and we have a couple hundred of them that show up on the main Start Sit page as the most popular questions. There are zero players in this game. From our most popular Start Sit questions. There are not decisions to be made for the Jets. If you have Breeze hall, you play him.

[C]

We don't have a Sit Sit Tool.

[B]

No, the sit sit tool would be.

[C]

You'd be on fire.

[B]

It would be. It'd be like, do I sit to Rod Taylor or Justin Fields? Both. It's all the tool says you sit both on the other side. I mean, Drake May has been incredible. Trayvon Henderson, I think we are playing regardless of the status of Ramon DRE Right now, 100% I will say, like. And I'm not. I wish I was. I wish someone else could bring this up than me because I just don't want to be like. I think there's a disbelief that I want Trayvon to succeed, which is fine. I've. I've said what I've said about the real. I've been realistic with how Vrabel treats the running back room is the point.

[C]

And he Vull has so far done that.

[B]

In that game, you had the breakaway runs. If you were to sum up everything else he did, he was at about 1.9 a carry.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

So. And we watched it. I mean, you and I watched the tape together. And he had basically almost three breakaway runs. One of them, you know, you're not going to get the play at the end of the game. Most often that was a goal line defense. They were trying to stop the run to get the ball back. And, you know, you break the first line of defense, you're going to go to the house. And he did that. He almost broke one on the first play of the game. You know, the other stuff looked okay. He's definitely not a pile mover. I mean, that is very, very evident. Not that Devon HN is or anything like that. But Gibbs. Gibbs can finish a run with power. Right. Gibbs is in a different category to me. H.N. probably a little bit more power from what I've seen, a little bit more arm tackle breaking than what I've seen from Travion so far. They will use both guys. If Ramon Drake, if.

[C]

If Ramon Dre is back, I have. I don't know. I don't know what Vrabo will do it. I think it would be stupid to go back to it.

[B]

Like, if I think the point you made yesterday, Mike, just to illuminate, I want to bring it up again because you made the point of like, you only get a game like this from Chavion when you give him opportunities, enough of them to pop something, right. Like his strength in the offense is the big play. You give him five or six carries, he doesn't go anywhere. You're depressed.

[C]

And he's also going to try to hit that play in Each of those five touches, which is like that. It's like a Ken Walker problem. Interesting of the guy. He's like, okay, well, I don't get on the field very much. I'm going to show you what I can do. Yeah, the point was just if Ramon, like Ramon Dre against the Bucks last week, nothing close to that happens. Like if Ramon Dre is the one getting all those carries, maybe he breaks through and you're like, oh, sick. A 10 yard run. We did it.

[A]

So yeah, what will do?

[C]

We just don't know.

[A]

Henderson's very nice 69 yard run this last week was longer than any run In Ramon Dre's 789 career carry count. So yeah, that's not happening with Ramon Dre. I do think if he's back, he will 100%. This will be a split. This will be a split backfield. I think it'll be close to 50, 50 rest of the way. That still might be enough to allow you to weekly start Henderson. I would start Henderson over Ramon Dre if I had both. This is a perfect matchup in the sense that the jets have. You know, they kind of purposely destroyed their own defense before the trade deadline last week. They're 12 and a half point home favorites. That's great for the running back. So. Yeah, I mean Trayvon should be in.

[B]

We haven't talked about Savon Diggs probably since week five's number five overall finish or at least not that often. He's been the number 55, 26, 35, 26 and 22 since then. Double digits of the last two weeks, three of the last four. Nothing ceiling wise but K Sean Booty, the hamstring, I would imagine they give him another week off. Yeah, with the 10 day gap after that with the hamstring, it seems like that.

[C]

Yes. The Von Diggs is. He's fine as a floor play here it as they just keep proving it over and over of you. You aren't quite sure who it's going to be. Mac Hollins, like if people weren't paying attention. Mac Hollins had 10 targets. He was 6 for 104 last week. Like he was the one who, who got the, who got the volume this past week. So Diggs is fine for floor, but the roulette wheel will spin.

[B]

All right. Anything else from this game you want to talk about? Any interest in Hunter Henry at all?

[A]

If I had to start Hunter Henry or Mason Taylor, I would probably go.

[C]

Hunter Henry or Theo Johnson?

[A]

I'm going to. I think I'll think I'll go with Hunter Henry.

[C]

All right.

[B]

Get it out of the way on Thursday. Figure out what you got at the tight end position. Yeah, get it out of the way. Okay. We have a special segment for you today as we wrap up the Thursday night preview. Let's get into it.

[A]

Playoff primer.

[B]

Well, the playoff primer. Here we are. What an episode we have prepared for you. What is your overall perspective on the matchup discussion? Because we want to look over teams and situations positionally that look really good right now for the playoffs. Right. You don't want to overemphasize matchups. You don't want to underemphasize it. But you know, we had league winners in this category last year that had. That were dialed up for success. You had Jared Goff ending up as the quarterback one. We kind of knew it was going to be good when he had the match at Buffalo, Chicago, San Francisco. Last year in weeks 15 through 17, you saw this with a great matchup for Tajie Spears, who ended up a top 10. Back in those weeks, you saw this with Brian Thomas Jr. Who had a perfect schedule and then a perfect finish at wide receiver 1 over the last three weeks. Jalen McMillan, right, lower tier guys with good matchups broke out and had big weeks.

[C]

Even Chiga Conquo is like, that's the big one. To also point out is like it does. The matchup does matter. And while we, at this point of the schedule, you can't guarantee a defense won't figure it out. See the Baltimore Ravens. But if you find like you got to chase the trend at this point, trade deadlines are coming up.

[B]

Yeah, you got 10 weeks of information.

[C]

If you're wanting to take a shot on the schedule, now is the time to do it. And they do. It does matter. Like guys just perform better against defenses that give up points to that position.

[B]

Jason, maybe briefly talk about these. The schedule adjusted versus points given up. We have a strength to schedule tool on the website where you can sort by either just total fancy points given up to the position or schedule adjusted.

[A]

And we default to schedule adjusted. So if you click off of that, you can see just the total. But schedule adjusted is a better way to look at it. What it's doing is you are. You are factoring in who these defenses have played. And I think the easiest way to understand is looking at the tight end position. Yes, because some teams don't score points at the tight end position. They just don't even have one that they throw the ball to. You know, you got a guy, you know, it's like every week you're averaging like 20 yards to the tight end position. So then when a defense plays against that team, oh, they shut down the tight end. They, they goosed them. You know, it's like, well, everybody does. That doesn't matter. Did you play against Chelsea Sample that week or something? You know, so what it does is it basically takes a look at the average of your opponent. So, you know, I'm playing against the Cardinals. Trey McBride averages X amount of points per week. Did we give up more than that or did we give up, you know, less than that? And that's basically what we're doing. So all the data that we're looking at here is adjusted for the schedule. So we know how do they fare against the average at each position?

[B]

Well, you guys want to start at the quarterback position for 20, 25. Best quarterback schedules to put into your memory banks here to consider before the trade deadline or not consider based on, you know, your guys's thoughts on some of these names. But right now, the best schedules on paper look like J.J. mcCarthy to a tongue of iloa who had the impressive week this past week. Big plays to Jalen Waddle, Lamar Jackson. At least the first two weeks look really good. Cincinnati, New England and then Daniel Jones. I think that's a fun discussion. We could have the commanders if they get Jaden back, which they might if they could stay in contention are also one of the better schedules out there. So I mean, I would be hyper nervous about JJ McCarthy. I can't imagine I am putting myself. I'm going to leave the door open that he impresses me from weeks 11 through 14.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And if that happens, then maybe that, that swing the door open a little bit.

[C]

But like Lamar is. That's just a. Wow, that's swell. If I have Lamar Jackson, I look ahead that the schedule is great. This is more for. You don't have a total and complete solution at the quarterback position. You might want to, you know, piece it together where JJ McCarthy, if you get some, you know, confidence in what's going on. We're just saying week one of the playoffs, he plays the Dallas Cowboys and then. And J.J. mcCarthy is, I mean, he's on a lot of waiver wires out there, if you're talking single quarterback. And then, okay, I play McCarthy one week and then the next week, hey, look, it's two against Cincinnati. So it's, it's a, it's about piecemealing together these three weeks for the best possible quarterback Play with the best possible matchup that you can find. And so we're just trying to lay those out like the Cincinnati in the semifinals for tua. That's great. And then Daniel Jones in the championship week, he plays against Jacksonville. They're giving up almost five points above expectation to the quarterback.

[B]

You know what I like about Daniel Jones schedule is the matchups. While they're great on, on paper from a like fancy points given up to the quarterback, they are teams that could challenge and beat Indianapolis. Like I want these. I don't want there to be a possibility just because a team gives up points to the quarterback. That Jonathan Taylor wins the game in the first quarter and he doesn't throw the football. When you're in Seattle, I expect that thing to go the distance. When you're playing San Francisco with the division on the line at the end of the season, I expect that to go the distance. So that. Those are encouraging to me. Yeah.

[A]

So listening to Mike, there's, there's, there's two different approaches. Right. Find the quarterback that you're going to ride through the playoffs. Daniel Jones would be my favorite because when you're, when you're looking at the playoff schedule, you pretty much ignore it with the studs. If you're great, you're great, whatever. But you're looking for people in the Daniel Jones tier where you can have really good performances. But you know, it kind of matters the schedule. So that's one way to do it. The other way to do it is to get J.J. mcCarthy, Justin Herbert and Marcus Mariota or Daniels and just play against Dallas every week.

[C]

Sure.

[A]

Just that. That's just target Dallas every single week. That's it.

[B]

Yeah, you would, you'd be in good shape then. I mean, Dallas, that's the commanders at the end of the season. That's Herbert in week 16.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, you know, those are, those are the highlight names. I think the Daniel Jones discussion is the most interesting one. If you're, you know, you can win a championship with Dan and Jones.

[A]

Yeah, I think you can.

[C]

We have, we have not seen the Cowboys since they made their trade. Right.

[A]

That's true. We don't know the new defense, so.

[C]

I don't, I don't think that's going to solve everything.

[B]

Yeah. You talking about Quinnan?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But. Yeah, but a player of that magnitude can change some things up. So that's a.

[A]

The nice thing is Quinn and is a run stuffer and so great.

[C]

Right.

[B]

For.

[A]

We're talking throw more on Dallas.

[B]

The one quarterback to Highlight that has a rough schedule that has been somebody carrying your team and been very good. We should flag it though because he's been a letdown in seasons past. Certainly it's Patrick Mahomes. I mean they have to play the Chargers who are the fourth best against quarterbacks giving up three and a half points less than the average. They play at Tennessee who can be defeated very easily without the passing game. And then they play. This is the most difficult one. They play Denver. That could be a real. I mean we just watched Denver and the Raiders battle to a 107 fart fest.

[A]

Yeah, that division fest.

[B]

Hitman, when.

[A]

When you're in division with good defenses which obviously Denver has one of the best in the league, you could end up with a very, very display. Like if I had. If I had Mahomes, I have no doubt that you could ride him to the championship in that last week.

[C]

Yeah. You're not going to try and move away from Mahomes. It doesn't feel like.

[A]

I feel like in championship week I might if I got there with him, I still might look to if there's another better option. That game scares me pretty bad.

[B]

Well, let's turn the page. Let's talk about running backs. There have been a lot of names, a lot of streaming type of situations that have worked out recently. Players like Tajie Spears, you know, players looking you look to Tyler Bidet. Manangai has been in a lot of lineups. D. Markado. Right. There's a lot of the middling tier. Again, you play your studs. You're not intimidated by playoff schedules for. Let me give you an example. We'll start with the worst on this one. Worst schedule is probably Gibbs. You're not benching Gibbs.

[C]

Right.

[B]

But it's worth no.

[A]

Oh, breaking news.

[B]

Please don't be bathroom related.

[A]

Marvin Harrison Jr. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Just had surgery for appendicitis and is out. And is out this week.

[C]

Yeah. So that usually you can be back within.

[A]

You can be back soon. It's much better than dang. But I mean out of the blue when it happens, it happens.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Wow.

[A]

Crazy.

[C]

No one's safe from the appendix.

[B]

No, that's anytime. That was a surprise.

[A]

I guess people who have already had it are safe.

[B]

Yeah, those people are perfectly safe.

[A]

We will never have to worry about Marvin Harrison Jr. Missing another game for appendicitis once.

[B]

No. You'd have to put an appendix back in and then to. You'd have to take it back out. Circling back Gibbs worst schedule. James Cook Bad schedule, those two. Those are players you're playing. It's worth knowing that you're going to have to play two road games for James Cook in New England, in Cleveland, and there have been games where Cook has disappeared. Those are not going to be easy ones, but again, they're in the upper echelon. You're not worried about them. It's those middle guys that are interesting. The best running back schedule right now, you know, it's kind of a couple of committee situations. The commanders have a great schedule towards the fantasy playoffs. The Patriots do. Right. And that could be a full committee at that point in time. And the Cardinals have a good 16 and 17 as well.

[C]

Trey Benson is.

[B]

He's hiding.

[C]

I don't remember where we discussed him, but he is a sneaky go trade for right now, man, while he's still hurt. It. It's not a guarantee, of course, because he had the meniscus repair. You don't know exactly when he's going to come back. You don't know for sure that it'll be full strength. But this is just a. It's an. It's another scratcher that you can grab that. Semis against Atlanta Championship against the Cincinnati Bengals. And I think once Benson is back, he will dominate the opportunities for Arizona.

[B]

Yeah. Have we heard anything new about Benson that we can.

[C]

No, I'll try and maybe Kyle, if.

[B]

You want to dig up any, any new intel, but I haven't heard anything.

[A]

Yeah, I haven't either in the fact that we're local and we haven't heard anything.

[C]

Here we go. Two minutes ago we got a real, real recent Theo Mackey, Cardinals beat writer for Arizona Central. No update from Gannon. Entre Benson or Bam Knight.

[A]

Okay, so we.

[B]

So the update from the minutes ago is. No update.

[C]

Yeah. Perfect.

[B]

Well, pay attention to Benson though because that's a. That's a few weeks away. Devon Hn. Good schedule. The Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason. This is one to flag because it's Dallas, New York. Aaron Jones seems to be getting the most snaps and you know, he's just not on the radar, I think as maybe a league winning type of start.

[A]

Yeah. And I don't know that he will be league winning but certainly be valuable. He was very good this last week. When I'm looking at the schedule and how it softens up for certain positions, you talk about those middling guys, but also rookies. You know, last year Jalen McMillan had the breakup, but it was also against a really soft schedule, which I think benefits rookies and there's two different rookie running backs that I think Trayvon Henderson had his breakout this week. Hopefully he retains more work going forward but his playoff schedule is so nice and quinch on Judkins start. I think all three weeks of the playoffs are great for him. Those, those two guys to me are exciting to get primed for the playoffs.

[B]

Yeah, that makes sense. There are, you know, a number of backs where that can make the difference. Make sure you are ensuring the great ones too. I mean we talked about this yesterday. Get yourself some Brian Robinson Jr. And those guys and Tank Also worth noting from a bad schedule standpoint, the Bears are they have a really, really rough first two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.

[C]

So the Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah, the where Jalen Warren which we had a nice puff piece about Jalen Warren. Some people are getting more excited about the touches but Jalen Warren, semis on the road against Detroit, finals on the road against Cleveland.

[A]

Those are brilliant. And I love this because you currently have Jalen Warren in our league of record. You're going to have the bye week. So that first week you might, I presume you'll have a bye week and if you do, you get a great schedule that you don't need. And then once you're back in the playoffs, Mike, tough, tough schedule.

[B]

I love that you love that about Warren. You're just going to get him to make a trade. We'll take a break, we'll talk whiteouts. For years everyone thought Verizon had the best network because they did. But now the best mobile network in the US is T Mobile. T Mobile's network has the most advanced 5G with more towers and their signal reaches further than ever. So you can text an Insta talk and say, you won't believe where I am. T Mobile has the best mobile network in the US based on analysis by Ookla of speed test intelligence data 1H2025CT mobile.com network Royal Caribbean is next level.

[C]

On another level, go all in on.

[A]

The world's boldest ships.

[B]

Filled with mind blowing entertainment, world class dining and the largest water parks at sea. And just when you think it couldn't get any better, you'll stop at our award winning private island. Perfect day at CocoCay. This is the undisputed champion of vacations book [e-mail] Big Time Best Time all the time. Come seek the Royal Caribbean the best wide receiver. Schedules are playoff primer. Taking a look at what we know right now. Minnesota Jefferson Addison.

[C]

It's often The Hawkinson it often correlates with the quarterback schedule, certainly.

[B]

And so you have. Not always. You have J.J. and Addison. You have Waddle for with Tua.

[A]

I mean, Waddle could be a league winner.

[B]

He does feel that way for sure. And then, you know, the 49ers also have a really juicy schedule. Not that we expect to know which wide receivers are going to play that week. We've had. We've had Kendrick Bourne has been relevant on this team this year. We've had Ricky Pearsall start the year hot. We had Juan Jennings have a nice week. We have Brandon Iuku. My goodness, I saw videos of him running around the field six weeks ago and he looked great. So this one feels a little bit more interpersonal than it does injury recovery.

[C]

At this point, maybe.

[B]

But he could be. He could be back. I mean, Pierce Law's injury is one where he's already come back from it once him and hurt. So you need to keep the Jennings IUK stuff on the radar or Bourne or other players. Debo and Terry. That correlates with the Mariota and Jaden Daniel situation. And then the Eagles, who I just watched AJ Brown on a live stream.

[C]

I saw it.

[B]

He's like, if you have me in fantasy, just drop me. That's what he said. That's how he's feeling, contributing to this team.

[A]

He's not happy. And I love that with my wide receivers. I want them to be displeased. Displeased when they're not getting enough stats.

[B]

It's fair. And they're 7 and 2 and just won another game. Zay Flowers. Nice schedule for the first two weeks as well for the Ravens. Aman Ra, you're playing him no matter what. But guess what? Jameson Williams, who's been really hot right now, great schedule to start the fantasy playoffs. He feels like Waddle light on a league winning potential where this offense is cooking. We had Jared Goff, the number one quarterback last year in the fantasy playoffs. Jameson Williams can be on your radar and probably could be picked up if you believe at the deadline. Much cheaper than a lot of these other players.

[A]

So if you had to go trade for someone right now based on the playoff schedule that you think is acquirable at a decent price, like who. Who would you target? To me. To me it is waddle.

[B]

A.J. brown.

[C]

A.J. brown is the. If we're talking, you know, everything baked into one. The risk, the reward, the cost. AJ Brown is where I would go. Maybe Terry it like, will it work for A.J. brown? I mean we had a stretch run where, where the Eagles were actually throwing and doing some, some fun cool things. It could. That's the thing is you've at least seen it a little bit this year in a snapshot. If that timed up and came back for your fantasy playoffs, it would be incredible.

[B]

I think it will and I think you have to just. Context is key. Right. Like this was a player who had number 23, number three finish, then got the hamstring injured, then comes back and plays Green Bay. And this was a defensive battle through and through on the road. It just didn't happen. I mean they went, they went fourth down, they went fourth down, bomb to A.J. brown. You know that that play happens. You're on a three game run and you're not probably talking on Twitch about how unhappy you are. And they have a good schedule. So that's the top of my list.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I feel like, you know, you'd love to say Zay Flowers, but to me, Zay Flowers has shown us through three years that if you stare at him too intently, he will disappoint you. And we haven't had a ceiling.

[C]

Games are just not going to say.

[A]

He is a fine play during the playoffs. He's not the league winner, he's not going to go out there and put up 30 points.

[B]

Conversely, are you worried about any of these guys because of schedules? We talked about Mahomes. So Rashi Rice has a tough schedule. You have Marvin Harrison.

[A]

That, that one is probably one of the most difficult because I, Marvin scares me. I don't know that he is good enough yet in his career to just be one of those guys where it's like, hey, you dominate the tough opponents. You really overcome the, the hard matchups. The fact that week one, week two, week one, week two is at Houston on the road and then the Atlanta Falcons. Obviously we don't. Atlanta sometimes shows up, sometimes doesn't. But that's. He's like that perfect tier where he's a really important player to your team that is not always going to get it done. And it looks to me like it's going to line up where he's not going to get it done in the playoffs.

[B]

What about a Buca who has a tougher schedule? Atlanta, Carolina, Miami.

[C]

Buka is a stud.

[A]

Yeah, I mean I.

[C]

You don't like the schedule, but he. I wouldn't like. I'm not doing the trade away Abuka for someone with a better schedule.

[B]

Yeah, agreed. Well, let's look at the tight end position. This can be one of the most important things you do is make a decision on your. If you're not in the upper echelon tier. Nothing makes a bigger impact than these matchups for tight ends. I mean Chiga Conqua last year winning championships. Najoku the year before winning championships. The Dolphins have a great schedule. We don't know if Darren Waller is going to be back, but it's worth.

[C]

Even if it's not Waller, I mean.

[B]

You still have Waller on your team.

[A]

Oh yeah. Come on, baby. Get healthy, Darren. I need a walrus in the playoffs. That, that schedule that we love, I mean obviously the. We like it for the passing game to a waddle Waller hopefully. And if it's not Waller, then Greg Dulcich, you know, could be a streaming candidate through the playoffs.

[B]

The Mark Andrews situation for the Ravens, it's very good the first two weeks of the playoffs. Cincinnati, New England, little pat on the butt here for Tyler Warren. Great schedule. You're always going to be playing him. Sam laporta, great schedule worth noting. Laporta can make a huge impact. That, that one jumps out to me as the, maybe the biggest one here because you know, you don't know if Waller's back. Andrews would make me nervous. Even in a good matchup could get it done. But Laporta, that one jumps out to me.

[C]

Yeah, he, he tends to show up in good matchups.

[B]

And so you know, we were coming off a what, three of the previous four weeks. He was number four this past week. Still five for 53. You can't complain about that. Just didn't get into the end zone. Starting to look like a little bit more of a consistent play. Wait, so we had a good game from LaPorta and Jameson Williams. Yep. And Amon Row.

[A]

Thank you. Dan Campbell.

[B]

Yeah, Dan Campbell. Just his press conference was amazing because he's just such a no nonsense guy and he also just doesn't play into the drama. He's just like, look guys, we needed a change. He's like, we just made a change. It's not like it's not collaborative. We just needed to do something different. It worked this week. That's what he said.

[A]

Yeah, 44 points.

[B]

It's like just, you know, good. That's called coaching. Coaches change stuff. Bad coaches just let Drew pets and keep calling place. How about this? You worried about any of these names that have the worst tight end schedules? Brock Bowers? No, he's got one of the worst. Travis Kelsey.

[C]

Yeah, a little bit. A little bit.

[B]

Those are the real big ones.

[C]

The. And not that Every single game is the same. Just talking for the Chiefs, they do play. They play Denver this week. Right now, I'm not.

[B]

Yeah, no, you get a little preview.

[C]

Yeah. They're on the road against Denver, so you. You'll get at least a snap. You know, just. Just a quick picture of what does it look like.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

And have some confidence if Kelsey goes out and has, you know, six for 50. Okay. I'll be all right with that.

[B]

Yep. And then.

[C]

Or you could just be terrified if Kelsey goes out there and does nothing this week.

[B]

Yeah, those ones are, you know, jumping off the page. If you're. If you ride like Gadson and Dr. Schultz and Goddard into the playoffs, know that they have tough schedules, so don't. Maybe don't bank on them. Maybe have an option to go somewhere else.

[A]

I feel like maybe Greg Dulcich isn't being talked enough about it. I haven't heard anything on Darren Waller, which isn't necessarily bad, but obviously it would be great to hear, like, oh, he's. He's healthy, he's running, he's ready to, you know, come off the ir. And since you're not hearing that the route participation has been going up and.

[C]

Up for the snaps, and it just looks a lot like Waller. I mean, not the same exact production, of course, but the. They're working him in and he. And then over the next couple of weeks, he could be a focal part of the offense.

[A]

Focal point.

[C]

Part point, whatever. Yeah, I said the wrong word.

[B]

I might have heard something.

[C]

Yeah. My brain said point, but I said part.

[B]

I heard somebody. Was it McAfee? Somebody said litmus test. Oh, somebody said. Somebody said it like Jason good. Somebody in media.

[A]

My mind virus is working.

[B]

Yes. Somebody in media got suckered in.

[A]

Test everyone. Once you do things like that and you talk, all of a sudden I know that there's people out there that every time they're going to say litmus, they're going to wait. Is it? No. Which one?

[C]

Yep.

[A]

Suckers.

[C]

Gotcha.

[B]

Another big position that is maybe the most crucial to make sure you're set up for it is the defensive starts for the playoffs. Who's got the best defensive schedules right now?

[A]

I think the Texans are one that I would target because you want the combination of a. Of a good defense with good matchups.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Like, the Saints have maybe the best, you know, schedule out there. Are you really going to bank on?

[B]

Nope.

[A]

The Saints defense? No. So the Texans, they've been going back and forth on waivers I've seen in leagues you know, they're acquirable. But Arizona at home, the Raiders at home, those are great matchups to start your playoffs.

[B]

Buccaneers have been a team I've added in my playoff bound leagues. The Buccaneers, they get to play at home against Atlanta. Love that. They get to play at Carolina. Love that even more than at Miami. But the Buccaneers defense, we know what it is. They can have big performances. They're interesting. The Chiefs are interesting.

[A]

The Steelers have been. So here's, here's. So the Steelers go Miami, which is a pretty good matchup for fantasy points scored on defense. Then Detroit in the second week of the playoffs. You're obviously not going to want to start them then. And then the worst, you know, the best matchup for defense, special teams is the Cleveland Browns, who they have in championship week. If you ride the Steelers, they will kick you out of the playoffs. It will not work. But if you find yourself in the championship, please pick them up because I do think that they'll be one of those league winners.

[B]

There are a couple of defenses you're probably going to ride into the playoffs, maybe three of them that have tough playoff schedules to be aware of. That would be the Broncos who have to start their playoffs against Green Bay. Then Jacksonville. Those are not good matchups. And then Kansas City and the packers, they have to play Denver, Chicago, Baltimore. That seems, that seems nerve wracking because we love the packers defense. We love the pressure they put on the quarterback. But if you tell me you got to go into Denver and play at Mile High, then you got to play Chicago, you know, in their building and then you play Baltimore in the championship week, that makes me a little nervous. Same with the Vikings. Tougher schedule. Chargers, tougher schedule. All four of those teams, Chargers, even the Seahawks, who have been really good, they got to play Indianapolis and the Rams. I don't like that.

[A]

No, the Chargers, Seahawks, those are. You can't go into your playoffs with them. You just, you cannot start those tier defenses against those opponents.

[B]

Well, that's, that's it for the playoff primer. Let's talk some mailbag.

[A]

Mailbag, maple bag. Presented by NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.

[B]

All right, into the mailbag we go. I, I just heard some clinking cups. He's got multiple months.

[C]

Why do you have so many cups?

[A]

I just, I had a coffee and a water.

[B]

He's a little dehydrated.

[A]

Yeah, I got a. Gotta hydrated.

[B]

A little dehydrated. I was half expecting him to pour the full bottle of Pepto into one of those.

[C]

Pour that as coffee creamer.

[A]

I just go straight from the bottle.

[B]

Oh, do you?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

In a moment like that.

[A]

Yeah. Just swig I.

[B]

Did you say on this show you were seriously considering making another one of those steaks? Yeah, it was so good. Was it worth it?

[A]

Oh, yeah. No, no, it was not. It was not worth what I went through eating the eight hour leftover steak. But yeah, I mean, I'm gonna make it again. It was great.

[B]

Just. Just be careful.

[C]

Yeah, Leave the, the bacteria out.

[B]

Yeah, that's the real.

[A]

I'm gonna use the.

[B]

How long, how long was the microwave journey?

[A]

Like 40 seconds. Oh, it was just a warm up and I think.

[B]

Is there a certain amount that you.

[A]

Maybe it was 20 seconds.

[B]

Like, would it have. Is there an amount of like.

[A]

Yeah, if you, if you microwave that thing for 10 minutes, there's no chance it's.

[B]

Does it all get nuked?

[C]

Well, it's. It's temperature.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Like it has to get to.

[B]

Isn't there like a bacteria though, like on rice where like you can't twice reheat white rice? Because that's a tough thing to say.

[C]

White rice.

[B]

You can't reheat white rice twice. White rice twice. Because you'll die.

[C]

I've heard.

[B]

Yeah, you'll die. No, I mean, Al's looking at me like I'm crazy. I promise you, if you look this.

[A]

Up, I promise you you'll die. I've already reheated rice.

[B]

Look up what I'm talking about and I'm alive.

[C]

I think I heard that as like an old wives tale.

[B]

It's not an old wives tale. There's a bacteria that is there and you can't get rid of it. And if you reheat it twice, I'm telling you, you could die.

[A]

No.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

No, I'm gonna.

[B]

The whole entire Internet's coming for all y' all after this show goes live.

[A]

I think there is some hyperbole happening here where maybe there's bacteria that can survive a white rice reheat twice, but it's not gonna. You don't die.

[B]

It's called reheated rice syndrome and it is a severe. I mean, people have died many times and it is a very serious thing. So be careful with your reheated rice is what I'm saying. I'm trying to save lives. Trying to save some lives.

[A]

It is called Beckilius. Sirius.

[B]

Yes. Yeah, Mike, just cast the spell, okay? Do your own research, man. I'm telling you, I'm telling you. I'm telling you it can happen. This will be your next one. I'm saving you from the next. I don't want you missing another show.

[A]

I don't want to. I'm never reheating white rice again.

[B]

All right, into the mailbag we go. If you have a question for us, go to the website, the fantasy footballers.com. there's lots of good stuff up there, including amazing articles by the writing staff coming out each and every day. You can also dial our voicemail hotline if you have a question. 302-464-TFFB I don't think we have any voicemails today. We'll start with a question from Wesley in Omaha. Baller Bros. Who is Jonathan Taylor's insurance backup? P.S. glad Jason is alive.

[A]

You and me both, brother.

[B]

D.J.

[A]

Giddens, is it?

[B]

Yes, I think so.

[A]

So, I mean, it doesn't. You could, you could argue it's not, but yeah, I. Early in the season it was very clear that it was DJ Giddens, like he was involved when, when, whenever the games were, you know, out of hand and they basically sat Jonathan Taylor in the fourth quarter, it was Giddens. And so as the Jonathan Taylor manager, I made sure to roster DJ Giddens and I have since moved on because I'm not super confident they're use.

[B]

Tyler Goodson was the one that got a snap last game.

[C]

That's the problem. I don't think you will know for sure if it's Giddens or Goodson.

[B]

So do you just.

[A]

I actually think it could be Abdullah.

[C]

Abdullah we've seen he might be the most productive. I don't know that he'll get the.

[A]

Most snaps should Jonathan Taylor go down. I don't know that you're going to have a guy. I don't know that you're going to have Abdullah or Goodson or Giddens. Really be great for fantasy. You might end up in a. In a timeshare. It's kind of like you look at the Colts and the last couple of years they have had an amalgamation of tight ends. They didn't have a stud tight end. So it was like, oh, it's Mo Ali Cox. It's, you know, everybody just kind of worked in a little bit and then they went and got a stud and it's him. You know, I think that's what's going to happen with their running back room if their stud goes down. They're just going to work in the average Joe guys and. And everybody gets a couple of carries.

[B]

That sounds like reheating rice twice. You Just don't want to do it. You don't want to mess with the running back room. Sven. Sven in Germany.

[A]

Oh, bonjour.

[B]

Bonjour. From Germany, would you trade George Pickens away for Breeze hall in a full PPR league? I am stacked at wide receiver with Puka, Nico and Rice as my style. Rice as my starters and could need some help at depth, at running back.

[C]

I mean, I think it's.

[B]

It's totally fine.

[C]

It's. It's fine. It's a fair trade.

[B]

Yeah, I would do that if you need a running back. For sure.

[C]

Yeah, I don't have a problem.

[A]

Yeah. Definitely the same tier. I think that's what you look at when you're talking about a wide receiver for running back. Trade is like, are they the same caliber within their position? And then it's just team needs.

[B]

Can I, Can I throw a new backup option out there real quick?

[C]

Sure.

[B]

Michael Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals with the news that, you know we're going to have no Marvin Harrison. Zay Jones just tore his Achilles, by the way. That was confirmed. And they don't have. I think they have three healthy wide receivers on the team. So Jacoby Brissette is throwing for 250 a game.

[C]

Oh, Trey McBride.

[B]

So, I mean, Trey McBride is going to cook.

[C]

He's going to eat.

[B]

But the Phillips hungry.

[A]

He's so hungry.

[B]

Michael Wilson, Amari D. Markado in the receiving game, out of the backfield. Backup options for Arizona, the Dorch maybe.

[C]

I don't know. Yeah, I mean, maybe it's a backup option.

[B]

A backup to the backup. Yeah.

[C]

It's not. It's not a top option.

[B]

All right, here's a question I've seen actually a few times. I have answered it on X Nick in Minnesota, do you shop Henderson, Trayvon right now for an upper tier option or do you hold on to him? Some of the trades I saw getting floated, they were. They were wild. And I was like, I would trade Travion in all the situations that I had seen.

[A]

Yeah, I see one asking, would you trade Travion Henderson for Bucky Irving straight up? Because there's so many questions there. And I would definitely do that. Bucky was back at practice today there.

[C]

Well, he was. He was spotted spot.

[A]

He was. He was.

[C]

It's a real fuzzy photo.

[B]

Yeah, fuzzy photo.

[C]

I mean, I don't know if he's.

[A]

Would you trade anything? Would you trade Travion for Bucky just straight up?

[C]

I think, man, it's a tough question. If I have. So this question is I got McCaffrey.

[B]

Who? What?

[C]

McCaffrey. Johnny Taylor and Judkins. Then sure, I'm okay with that. Because you can make it through. Like you don't need Henderson this week and you can wait a couple of weeks for Bucky. Okay.

[B]

Okay. What do we got here? Stephanie and Idaho. I've been sorely disappointed with the Knicks. Sutton Stack. Yeah, you and Mike both.

[C]

I hear that.

[B]

Do you recommend Flacco or Nixon? Week 11. Also, is it time to bench Sutton for Alex Pierce after his buy?

[A]

Who's that?

[B]

Alec Pierce after his. Bye. Thank you, Alec. Thank you, Litness.

[A]

Goodness, I just didn't know.

[B]

Nothing that feels worse than when Jason corrects your speaking. But yes, Cortland Sutton for Alec Pierce. I'm open to it.

[C]

This is a. So this week. Okay. Week 11.

[A]

I mean I would play. I would play Flacco.

[C]

I can tell you. I have both. And I will be playing Joe Flacco on the road against Pittsburgh.

[B]

Yeah, I'm really. I'm kind of into Joe.

[C]

I told you I had an irrational belief in Joe Flacco and Joe Burrow is going to mess it all up.

[A]

Bo Nix right now is my quarterback 22 on the week. So if you're in a single quarterback league, I would not be playing Bonix.

[C]

I agree. He's playing the Chiefs.

[A]

Yeah, it's.

[C]

It will be shocking to me if Bonix has a good game.

[A]

He can run. So there's always the potential to save your week and have a nice big long touchdown run. But the process says try to find someone else.

[B]

Louie in Ohio, should I trade Justin Jefferson for devonte Adams? Oh, I don't think I would do that. I don't. I don't think. I don't think I would do that.

[A]

I don't think I would do that.

[C]

You hope that JJ is just going to be improved in time.

[B]

I just don't like the devonte injury oblique situation. I. I think it's a bigger question if he didn't have that. Do you disagree? I mean, I. I think Jefferson is. You're trying to win this thing, man.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't know. Working it out right now in my head, but I don't. I don't know where you guys sit with that one.

[C]

I think that's very close.

[A]

The.

[B]

I mean, trying to see if the rant. What the Rams schedule is.

[C]

The Rams. The Ram schedule is Detroit, Seattle, Atlanta is.

[B]

I don't. I don't love that.

[C]

No. But Adams has been. It's all.

[A]

It's touchdowns, touchdowns.

[B]

But it's like formally answering, no, I'm. I mean, you have this situation on your team, Mike.

[C]

I know. I'm actually. I'm thinking through it in my head. If that were offered to me, the keeper league makes it harder. So I would. Our league in particular. I'm going to keep Jefferson.

[B]

That was today's mailbag. Watch every game, every Sunday with NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV. Visit YouTube.com fantasy footballers local and national games on YouTube TV NFL Sunday Ticket for out of market games. Base plan required. Excludes digital only games. Commercial use excluded. No refunds. And we have starts of the week tomorrow. We've got matchups and we've got the Wheel of Shame.

[A]

Oh, man.

[B]

Won't be me. Thank goodness. I didn't need this hot. I didn't need a hot streak in that department.

[A]

We don't know who it is between us.

[C]

Just take it. Andy's face says you might need to take it.

[A]

You missed work yesterday. Yeah. You didn't show up for work. I guess that's the tiebreaker.

[B]

That's the tie. If you don't show up, that's the tiebreaker.

[A]

That's.

[B]

And you know it.

[A]

I do know it. It's fair. But let the record show, you tied, Mike. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

You both.

[C]

I tied so much better, though.

[B]

Yeah, you did. You tied way better. All right, that is it for today's episode. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow.

[C]

Goodbye.

[A]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on JoinTheFoot.com and follow us on Twitter the FFballers.

[B]

What's up, foot Clan? You know the feeling when your fantasy lineup needs a miracle? Maybe you got that big injury. I wish that I could just plug in a backup and keep things rolling. With Progressive, you get a winning combo, quality coverage you can count on, all in one place. With a playbook full of customized options for your home and auto so you can have peace of mind that you're covered no matter what life throws your way. Don't get caught without a great backup. Switch to Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance company affiliates and third party insurers. Not available in all states or situations. Coverage subject to policy terms, limits and conditions. The Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid has a.

[C]

Bold design, a spacious interior with 232 horsepower and a 12.3 inch panoramic T.

[A]

Display to keep the adventure going and fit with the way you live.

[B]

And with SiriusXM, every drive comes alive, bringing you closer to the music, sports talk and podcasts you love.

[A]

Right?

[B]

In your vehicle or on the SiriusXM app. Every SiriusXM equipped Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid.

[A]

Includes a three month trial subscription to.

[B]

SiriusXM, so the experience begins the moment you drive. Learn [e-mail] Sportage Hybrid Kia Movement that inspires.